An individual may wish to strengthen the muscles in the hand and forearm, and impose mobility of joints in the hand to improve work and athletic performance, or to regain the strength and dexterity lost because of injury or illness. The muscles may be strengthened by using an exercising apparatus having two components which provide a resisting force as a hand grasps the components and compresses them together. Through sessions involving a series of repeated grasping and releasing motions, the muscles are strengthened.
As the physical condition of the hand and forearm improves, a greater resisting force is required for continued progress. During the rehabilitative treatment of a patient, the careful monitoring and adjustment of the resisting force provided by the apparatus is essential. The patient begins treatment with impaired hand strength and dexterity. The resisting force must be gradually increased as the patient regains muscle strength. A hand and finger exerciser, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,849 to Ratchford, describes an apparatus which has means for adjusting the tension and which allows natural movement of the hand.
Adjusting the tension in the apparatus provides one way of controlling the motion of the hand as it compresses the two components together. Alternatively, the initial distance separating the components could be adjusted to control the hand stroke. The initial separation would be increased to permit a fuller range of hand motion as dexterity is regained. The apparatus could be adapted for use in strengthening the muscles in smaller hands by decreasing the initial distance between the components. Thus, providing a way in which the initial separation between the components could be varied would increase the versatility and effectiveness of the apparatus.
To achieve any significant improvement in the condition of the muscles, the hand must repeatedly grasp and release the components of the apparatus. After even a short period of use, the portions of the hand in contact with the components become sore. During the grasping-releasing motion, the components may abrade or pinch the skin, which can lead to the development of blisters. These discomforts will often induce the user to shorten or postpone the exercise sessions. While this may pose as a minor setback to someone using the apparatus for personal improvement, the consequences to a patient using the apparatus as part of physical therapy are more serious.
A patient who shortens the exercise sessions to avoid the discomfort caused by using the apparatus slows the rehabilitative process and must therefore spend more time in physical therapy. The patient will also contort the grasping stroke in an attempt to reduce the pain. An improper grasping stroke may cause the apparatus to work different muscles, further impairing the patient's rehabilitation. The discomfort caused by the repeated grasping of the components tends to reduce the efficiency of the apparatus. Thus, providing some degree of protection for the user's hand would improve the effectiveness of the exercising apparatus.